The Taiwan High Court yesterday insisted that The Journalist magazine must apologize to Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) for a story it published in November 2000.
The court dismissed The Journalist's appeal against an earlier ruling in Lu's civil lawsuit against it, although the magazine will be allowed to file a final appeal to the Supreme Court.
"Basically, the Journalist did not submit any new evidence to persuade the court that there was a reason to overturn the previous verdict. So we decided to uphold the previous court decision and rule against the magazine," said Hsu Cheng-shun (
"If necessary, the defendants are allowed to file another appeal, which will be final, within 20 days after they receive my verdict," Hsu said.
Neither Lu nor the defendants attended the delivery of yesterday's verdict.
Wellington Koo (
"They [the defendants] did not submit any surprising or new evidence during previous hearings, so they did not persuade judges to overturn the result," Koo said.
Hsu yesterday ruled that the defendants, seven employees of The Journalist, have to run one-day front-page advertisements in four major Chinese-language newspapers to make up for the damage done to Lu's reputation.
Lu sued the magazine over a story that claimed she had called its editor-in-chief to spread a rumor that President Chen Shui-bian (
The magazine alleged that Lu spread the rumor in order to unseat Chen.
Lu filed her suit on Dec. 21, 2000, demanding a formal apology from the magazine.
On April 10, 2002, the Taipei District Court found the defendants not guilty of criminal libel. However, judges ruled that the story had damaged Lu's reputation, which is a civil offence, and ordered the seven defendants to "clarify and admit" their mistake by publishing a statement to that effect on the front pages of the nation's 32 newspapers, as well as broadcasting it on radio and TV for three days.
The cost of such clarifications has been estimated at NT$180 million.
On Dec. 13, 2002, the High Court upheld the verdict on appeal, but reduced the punishment to run one-day front-page advertisements in four major Chinese-language newspapers. The court also dismissed Lu's request that the defendants broadcast a clarification on radio and TV for three days, which would cost about NT$3.86 million.
On April 29 this year, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict concerning criminal libel, and the defendants decided to file a second appeal against Lu's civil claim.
The magazine yesterday said that it would not make any decision about whether to file its final appeal to the Supreme Court until it has received Hsu's verdict.
The defendants are the magazine's president Wang Chien-chuang (
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS